How to Effectively Use Social Media as a Coach
As a coach a platform you will want to master social media. This is a great way to show your expertise and get in front of a new audience. In today's article I will share some strategies to incorporate to master social media and expand your reach.
First and foremost with social media you will want to pay attention to your profile picture and cover photo. This is the first thing people will see. It's like your first impression (online) and we all know we only get one of those. If this is poor quality, blurry, or a selfie then it could confuse or put users off and make them turn away from your page. So first and foremost create images that are visually appealing to your ideal audience. Be sure to share good quality photos of yourself because you're the visual front of your business and you want people to see you, not some random stock photo.
If you're worried that you don't have any quality photos, don't fear. I personally started at my brother’s wedding by asking my mom to snap a photo with my iphone. I got like 5 great photos to use and then pretty much any time I was dressed up or looking half way decent I would ask someone to snap a quick photo. Phones today take pretty good photos. After you have a few photos you can use great tools like Canva.com to create your posts using those photos. You can also use Canva.com to create your cover photo using a photo of you. Canva has a ton of templates if you don't know where to begin. You can also look at coaches you admire, not to copy, but to get inspired.
Here are some hints to take appealing photos :
Have good lighting
Try a place that has good scenery (i.e. a hotel, or downtown around a nice skyline etc.)
Try to use images that are related to your niche. If you are an author take pictures of you in libraries or you in front of books etc.
Use LIVE Videos
Did you know that each day on social media users view over 8 billion videos? Videos are such a great way to engage with your audience. So I challenge you to start practicing with video. I know for a lot of people this can cause a lot of anxiety. The trick with video is the more you do it the more comfortable you will become. When I began I would go live for 2-3 minutes and slowly but surely I built up to being able to go live for an hour and not even noticing it. I would write out bullet points of the most important things I needed to say and I always kept it near to me to keep me on track. I also would practice in the mirror before actually pressing live. Yes, you may be nervous, you may forget all you have to say that's okay. People are really connected to your energy during this time so understand everything doesn't have to be perfect.You can use your phone or tablet to start recording, but be sure to have good lighting. You can talk about your journey to business, why you're passionate about coaching or a break through with a client. The point is to find engaging topics your audience would like to know more of. Don't overcomplicate it. Just be you! Thats enough!
I recommend that you create videos just for the particular platform (instagram/facebook etc) and upload these directly to the platform. The algorithms will always give direct videos a higher priority than links to external video platforms. Sometimes you may want to pre-record videos because it feels safer, but the algorithm is less likely to share a prerecorded video. So if you pre-record your video I suggest uploading it to YouTube and also being sure to share that link. The thing I like about youtube is those videos are always easily acceissble version typical social media algorithms that make videos and posts "disappear" after a while.
Short and Sweet
As a coach I know you likely have a ton you want to share. Research says that most social media users do not want to read super lengthy posts (an instagram has a limit on the number of words). So when you post take this into consideration and make it short, sweet AND valuable. So how can you get your point across/share what you need to share in a quicker fashion?
Get people to share
Getting shares is a great strategy to get in front of a new and expansive audience. Here are some strategies to increase this possibility.
Use Emotion in your Posts
Emotions can be felt from miles away. So when you're writing posts consider how you can make people feel it. You may choose to make a catchy title (i.e. why I almost gave up) or you can use words in your content that evokes emotions.You can use a number of emotional triggers in your posts such as:FearAnxietyOutrageHumorThe more that you can stir the emotions, the more likely it is that your post will get shared. Understand you want to focus on being relatable not making people cry :-)
Make your Call to Action Strong
The biggest mistake I see coaches make it avoiding telling their guests what to do. Sure you gave great advice or wonderful tips but what's education without application. How can your audience use this? What should you audience do with this? You could say "share with someone who you know needs this"
Showcase your expertise
A lot of times we see amazing quotes and we are quick to share them because they feel relatable or even funny. While this is okay occassionally I always suggest to my clients to share some of your words of wisdom along with you name (in case it's shared this brings people back to your page. Also sharing your words of wisdom helps you to be seen as knowleadgeable and an authority. When you share a fact or statistic expand upon that in your own words and what it means to you. This again is highlighting your expertise.
Freebies and Giveaways
Freebies are a great way to showcase your desire to serve. I always say being a coach is not about sales only it's about showing up and serving your audience. Offering a free training, free call, free challenge, etc. is a great way for people to get a taste of what it's like to work with you. It also helps people to see your passion and expertise you bring to your topic. When people work with you for free and love it they are more inclined to invest and take that next step. Also note with free offers, people are more likely to share with their friends too because they know it could be a blessing for them and neither of them have nothing to lose. People love to get good stuff for free!
Even if you already have a social media account using it as a business can be totally different because now you will want to be more intentional. It's imperative as a coach that you maximize the power of social media. Using these strategies will jumpstart that journey.
If you're looking for more tools to support your journey to getting your first or next client I have just the thing for you. In my get your next client guide you will learn a simple strategy to increase your magnetism and your success. Plus it's totally FREE.Join us here: www.nicolyawilliams.com/next-client
